Looks like we might get Jon's parentage in WoW
Another old correspondence
November 2000
I asked about getting more info about Jon's parentage at the Menlo Park Q&As . . . he mentioned that it wouldn't be in #4 but it would be in #5 and on . . . so, we can argue about Rhaegar and Lyanna for the next several years;
This was back when 6 books was the plan. But it goes to show that GRRM at the time was not planning on waiting until the last book.
Plan could have changed though
Lots of interesting tidbits:
September 2000
If time is permiting would you mind giving a brief description on how the wall was constructed?
Much of those details are lost in the mists of time and legend. No one can even say for certain if Brandon the Builder ever lived. He is as remote from the time of the novels as Noah and Gilgamesh are from our own time.
I'm no longer putting Bran the Builder on my Coldhands suspect list
September 2000
Tigers14: another question, can NW vows be annulled if a person had no idea who he really was when he took them?
GeoRR: who had no idea who he was?
Tigers14: jon
GeoRR: Jon knows who he is. He may not know who his mother is, but that's not the same thing. There are plenty of orphans and b*stards in the Watch who don't know who their parents are.
Tigers14: yes. but if jon is the legitimate son of rhaegar and lyanna , he is the king of westeros.
GeoRR: well, you know I am not going to get into any of that
GeoRR: I think I've said enough for tonight.
November 2000 (when 5 year gap was still supposed to happen)
I mentioned in another thread that I asked GRRM if we would ever see a Cersei POV. He said that he is considering it. He thinks that it would be interesting to write but that he is not certain that it would be necessary to further the plotline. If it's not necessary, he probably won't write it.
November 2000
We will meet Howland Reed, but not in the next book... he(Howland) knows just to much about the central mystery of the book...
He has a meeting next week in Hollywood with a few execs' who want to make a TV mini-series out of these novels, I strongly tried to dissuade him... but he seemed leary of accepting thier proposal anyways...
December 2000
I was wondering if you would comment on Benjen Stark's fighting ability. Is he on a level with Brandon, or is he more like Ned?
Depends on the kind of fight you had in mind.
Brandon was the best of the Starks with sword in hand, and the best jouster as well. But Benjen has other skills that serve him well as a ranger... and Ned was likely the best battle commander.
Seems to possibly be hinting at Benjen being able to survive north of the wall
. Were circumstances and timing of Tywin's death something you planned for a long time or another case of characters "taking intiative", like with Cat?
That scene was largely written even before A CLASH OF KINGS was published. Hell, I'd been setting up that "Lord Tywin shyts gold" line since his very first appearance in A GAME OF THRONES.
So you impatiently waited for years to drop the single worst line in the whole series and never realized how bad it was
Mr Martin confessed that he was eagerly awaiting for the Lord of the Rings film, since as he told me, after the disappointment of Willow, it is a major chance for fantasy to conquer Hollywood
How you gonna diss the god Willow
).
